Final Civil Aviation Report on Fly Montserrat Crash Released

BRADES – The final report of the investigation into the fatal accident involving Fly Montserrat aircraft VP-MON in Antigua on 7 October 2012 has been released.

According to a statement from the Governor’s Office, on 28 September 2015 Her Excellency the Governor received from the Director General of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) the final report. Copies have now also been sent to the UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), who assisted with the ECCAA investigation, Air Safety Support International (ASSI), the airline regulator, and to Fly Montserrat.

“The Fly Montserrat issues raised in ECCAA’s initial report and subsequently expanded in the final report, were satisfactorily addressed by Fly Montserrat, in consultation with ASSI, immediately following the accident.

“The report is a reminder of a sad day and the people who lost their lives. Our thoughts are again with the families of the victims. The report identifies heavy rainfall immediately prior to take-off, the ingress of water into the right hand fuel tank and wind shear on take-off as the main factors in the accident,” the statement read.

Two passengers including the pilot died in the crash which occurred shortly after takeoff from the V.C. Bird International Airport on Antigua.

The report summary noted “At a low height after takeoff the aircraft stalled and entred an incipient spin. The pilot and two of the three passengers were fatally injured. The investigation found that the right engine was not running and its propeller was not in the feathered position at impact, and that a significant quantity of water was present in the right fuel tank before the aircraft’s departure.

“Tests showed that with the right hand fuel filler cap in place, water falling or flowing on the upper wing surface could enter the right hand fuel tank. The fuel suction filters fitted in the aircraft’s fuel tanks were of the original production standard. The early-production-standard fuel suction filters were of a design which would, with a certain volume of water present in the sump, permit that water to enter the engine fuel supply under longitudinal acceleration and/or nose-up pitch attitude.